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Schneble, Wetzel To Race In Northern California Friday 4/30/2004 Second Commodore Contingent Competing at Ole Miss Vanderbilt distance runners Erika Schneble and Ashleigh Wetzel will face some of the sport’s top competitors this evening at the Cardinal Invitational in Northern California while a larger contingent of Commodores will travel to Ole Miss Saturday for their final prep before the upcoming Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships. Schneble, a sophomore from Hendersonville, N.C., will attempt to lower her team record in the 5,000 meters against an elite field expected to include 2000 Olympic silver medalist Sonia O’Sullivan, Canadian record holder Courtney Babcock and three-time NCAA champion Lauren Fleshman, formerly of Stanford. Wetzel, a freshman from Lewisburg, Penn., is chasing a NCAA qualifying standard of 4:29.12 in the 1,500-meter run. Her personal best in the event is 4:29.31. Among the 1,500-meter entrants is two-time Canadian Olympian Leah Pells and former Stanford standout Malindi Elmore who holds the world’s second fastest time this season. Josie Hahn, the Commodores’ only current All-American, and sophomore hurdler Amanda Mullins-Hall will lead a bigger Vanderbilt squad at the Ole Miss Invitational, scheduled Saturday in Oxford. Hahn, holder of four Vanderbilt track and field records, is expected to compete in several events as she prepares for the SEC heptathlon. Mullins-Hall is on the verge of a big effort in the 100-meter hurdles. The competitions in Northern California and Mississippi this week represent the final Commodore competitions prior to the SEC Track and Field Championships, scheduled May 13-16 at the University of Mississippi. Vanderbilt distance coach Jim Spivey, a three-time U.S. Olympian who remains the last American to run a sub-3:50 mile, is excited for Schneble and Wetzel. Both runners have blossomed under Spivey’s guidance this year – Schneble knocking nearly a minute off her previous best in the 5,000 and Wetzel becoming the only freshman to run in the finals of the SEC Indoor mile. “Erika and Ashleigh are excited about the competition. I’m also excited for both of them,” Spivey said before leaving on the trip. “It’s an opportunity for Erika to see where she stands among the nation’s best and it’s also gives Ashleigh a chance to get her (NCAA qualifying) standard. Just to compete at this meet will be an eye-opening experience for both of them.” Schneble has been one of the nation’s biggest surprises in distance running this season. Starting with a late burst in cross country, Schneble has continued to show progress both indoors and outdoors. Since earning a second place finish in the 5,000 meters at the SEC Indoor Championships, Schneble has been sensational in April, twice breaking the Vanderbilt 5,000-meter record. She lowered the record by 20 seconds at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, then became the Commodores’ first Drake Relays champion last week with another personal best of 16:26.87. |
